Meet the Affiliate: Daniel Droy

Daniel Droy is a WASH engineer and a RedR Affiliate. RedR Affiliate status has been designed for people who want to use their professional experience in the humanitarian sector. It provides the support and guidance needed to develop a humanitarian career and gain the experience required to become a full RedR Member.

Daniel is currently working for Samaritan's Purse, a Christian humanitarian relief organisation based in the USA with various country offices around the world, where he is part of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) team. In this capacity, he served in various refugee camps in Greece, and in the Caribbean following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in September last year.

Dominica was one of the most badly affected by Hurricane Maria, with the vast majority of the population in need of shelter and water. “I’ve returned from two months in Dominica, where we provided emergency WASH interventions after the devastation the island experienced” reports Daniel. Water supplies were highly disrupted by this natural disaster: “We set up water filtration sites, coupled with water trucking operations and technical assistance to support the local water services as they re-established the island's water network. We also worked in schools and emergency shelters to get water services back online, allowing facilities to reopen and function as normal”.

On the right, Daniel Droy

Daniel moved into the humanitarian field after time spent working as a field engineer in the private sector.

His drive to assist people in need is coupled with engineering analysis and problem solving skills and, as he explains, “it is a rewarding combination”, because in the context of a humanitarian response the impact of one’s actions becomes quickly tangible: “There are few degrees of separation between your professional efforts and the apparent benefits and implications for the end user. The needs are raw and solutions are attainable”.

A roadside water filtration systems Daniel has worked on, filtering water from a nearby source to provide safe drinking water in an easily accessible area for the community.

However, moving from the private into the humanitarian sector was not straightforward.

“It seemed like a closed cycle at the onset, requiring prior experience to gain experience, with no obvious way in”. Training and undertaking voluntary positions marked Daniel’s pathway towards the humanitarian field: “I quit my previous job and made it my quest to find a way, positioning myself better with training and voluntary positions to move nearer to the sector. I think availability is important”.

The first foot in the door came whilst Daniel was volunteering in Greece in 2016 in response to the European refugee crisis: “During my time there I interacted with many organisations involved in the European refugee crisis response and I stumbled across a paid position as a WASH coordinator, which my previous training with RedR had put me in good stead for. The opportunity came from a combination of experience, positioning and being in the right place at the right time.

Besides technical knowledge and expertise, soft skills are also vital for engineers working in the humanitarian sector. These include things such as “being teachable, absorbing information and learning from others. It's a diverse environment and there are a lot of different ways of doing things” says Daniel. “Formal training can really help to see the bigger picture, though experience itself seems to me the most valuable”.

Finally, Daniel remarks how RedR’s Affiliate Scheme has also helped him to build a career in the humanitarian sector: “Through this scheme and speakers events, I’ve built an understanding of the humanitarian environment and been able to touch base with various organisations, who I have later met in the field. Overall, the affiliate scheme has helped shaped my focus, leading me into conversations and subsequent opportunities”.

Daniel is currently working in Bangladesh in response to the diphtheria outbreak amongst the Rohingya refugees.

RedR Affiliate's Scheme and Training

Daniel is a RedR Affiliate and completed RedR’s Refugee Response Training, and Introduction to Humanitarianism in Urban Settings. For more information follow these links: